


kiss it all better

by Stardustwrites17



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forehead Kisses, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Keith is loved, Kisses, Morning Kisses, Sick Character, Sick Keith (Voltron), Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Kisses, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Team Bonding, Team as Family, broganes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:20:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22020967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stardustwrites17/pseuds/Stardustwrites17
Summary: 4 times Keith gets kissed by his fellow paladins, and 1 time he kisses them.All platonic love, mostly fluff.
Relationships: Hunk & Keith (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Voltron Paladins
Comments: 48
Kudos: 322





	1. Comfort

Keith wanted to tell Shiro. He desperately wanted to. But he knew Shiro was busy.  _ Too busy to deal with your nonsense.  _

So he sucked it up. It wasn’t that bad, he had spent the day alone before, he would be able to do it again. 

But this year was different. His father’s death anniversary rose questions this year. 

_ Who was his mother? _

_ How had they met? _

_ Why had she left?  _

He sometimes felt angry at his dad for not telling him about his mother’s identity. And then he immediately felt guilty. It wasn’t his father’s fault, he had been 8 when he had died, too young to know about the galactic war and his mother’s place in it. Which led to another question: what side was his mother on?

This questions spun in his head, getting worse as the damn date crept closer. 

It had been 10 years. He should be over it by know. 

“Keith?” 

He stood up straighter as he looked at Shiro 

“Are you listening?”

_ No. _

“Of course”

Shiro looked at him for a moment, and his gaze was a little too knowing for Keith’s taste. 

“Right” he addressed the rest of the team “we’ll run this exercise tomorrow again. I want you all to take a shower, grab something to eat and go straight to bed. We’ve had a tiring day and I know  _ some people”  _ he eyed Keith and Pidge. She flashed an apologetic smile. Keith didn’t acknowledge the look “haven’t slept that much lately. Dismissed”

The garrison trio left the room, chatting animatedly about their newest video game. But before Keith could follow them, a hand landed on his shoulder and he flinched.

“Sorry” Shiro said, removing his hand. Keith wished he hadn’t “didn’t mean to scare you”

“I’m fine” he answered the question before it was even asked 

“You sure? You seem… down” he shrugged, not meeting Shiro’s eyes. God, he wanted to tell Shiro everything. He wanted Shiro to hug him the way he used to at the Garrison, long and hard until Keith squirmed, demanding to be let down.

But Shiro was busy, and just thinking about bothering him with his stupid doubts and feelings made anxiety crawl up his chest 

“Like you said, we’ve had a long day. I’m gonna take a shower”

And he left. He didn’t miss the hurt in Shiro’s eyes though. And that hurt more than any bruise of ache he had ever experienced.

An hour later he stood in his room, debating what to do. 

He was tired. A bone deep tiredness that was screaming at him to go to bed, to get the hours of sleep that he had missed these last couple of days. 

But he knew that if he lay down, he would either just lay there, not sleeping, his mind to keyed up to actually get some rest; or pass out from exhaustion, which would only bring nightmares. Nightmares of his father walking into a house on fire, ignoring his cries and pleads for him to come back; or of his mother, a soldier of Zarkon, trying to kill his friends. Because it was never he who died. No. It was always his friends, his family, and that hurt more than the thought of being killed by his own mother. 

So sleep was out of the question.

He had decided to go to the training room yet again when he heard a knock on his door.

“Keith? Can I come in?”

Shit. 

“Yeah” It sounded more like a question than an answer 

The door opened, revealing Shiro, hair still damp from his shower, wearing a black shirt and gray sweatpants.

The door automatically shut behind him.

After a few moments of awkward silence Shiro cleared his throat. 

“There’s something you’re not telling me” he said. Keith scoffed, feeling his temper rising up 

“Oh I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you had to know every single detail of my life”

Shiro looked at him wearily. Keith suddenly noticed the heavy bags under his friend’s (brother’s?) eyes. He felt guilt rise to form a lump in his throat. 

_ Don’t burden him with this. _

“Irony isn’t your best look, kiddo” his eyes softened “come on, talk to me. What’s going on?” 

“I-” he choked down the words. He wanted to tell him,  _ so bad.  _ No. He had to stay strong, because if he confessed, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it together, and Shiro didn’t need that right now. 

“It doesn’t matter” he mumbled “it’s stupid”

“Humor me” 

He huffed out a laugh, more annoyed than amused.

“Tomorrow… isn’t a day I like to remember” he finally said. And he immediately hated himself for it. For being so weak. 

Realization crossed Shiro’s face “what day is it tomorrow?” Just to be sure

“March… third” 

Stupid Pidge with her stupid calendars. Who cared what day it was? If Pidge hadn’t been keeping track, Keith wouldn’t even have realized.

He could feel tears of shame and frustration well up in his eyes. Goddammit. 

He couldn’t look at Shiro, but he almost broke when he whispered, oh so softly 

“oh, buddy”

He felt a hand land on his shoulder, and felt the incoming hug, but he shook the hand off and stumbled away. He knew he was acting out of pure stubbornness and over-tiredness but he still refused to give in.  _ Shiro is busy  _ he kept repeating  _ he can’t waste his time on you. _

“Keith, I’m never too busy for you. You are  _ never _ a waste of time. Why would you think that?” 

Shit. Had he said that out loud? God, he was tired.

Shiro sounded so hurt, it made even more guilt and raw  _ anguish _ settle on his chest.

Tears blurred his sight, so he was surprised when arms wrapped around him.  _ No. He couldn’t do this to Shiro.  _ He tried to express his thoughts by pushing him away, but the arms held him more forcefully than before. 

He choked on his tears, and he was dimly aware that he was breaking down, that he had succumbed to what he had been trying to avoid for days. 

He punched Shiro’s firm chest, trying to get away, to not be weak, but a sob escaped him, and something inside him broke like glass. 

He buried his face on Shiro’s shoulder, clutching his shirt as if he were afraid he would disappear again. Shiro held him tightly, as if trying to keep him together, as if he thought that by holding him tightly he would be whole again.

“It’s stupid” he said when he could talk again

“No it’s not”

“It’s been ten years. I should be over it”

“You don’t get over something like this, Keith” his voice sounded strained “you can’t. It gets better over time, but you never forget”

“It hurts” 

God, he sounded so pacetic, his voice was barely more than a whimper.

And the Shiro kissed the top of his head, and a weight lifted from his chest. 

When was the last time Shiro had done that? He couldn’t actually remember but he had missed it more than his pride let him believe.

“I’m sorry, Keith.  _ God I’m so sorry _ ” 

He had really done it this time. Making feel Shiro guilty for no  _ fucking reason. _

“You didn’t do anything” he protested, burying his face in Shiro’s already tear stained shirt.

“I’m sorry you had to go through what you did, kiddo”

They didn’t say anything else, and just stood there, not breaking the hug, the only movement being Shiro’s hand rubbing Keith’s back and the occasional pressure of Shiro’s lips on his forehead.

  
  


The next day it took him a few moments to realize what day it was. It was like a heavy weight that dropped suddenly on his chest, making it hard to get out of bed.

Nevertheless, he got up, knowing that if he didn’t Shiro would come to fetch him. 

Oh God.  _ Shiro _ .

The events of the previous night suddenly came to his mind and his cheeks flushed at the memory of his meltdown. 

He walked towards the kitchen, dread filling his gut. 

Shiro wasn’t there yet, which surprised him. The rest of the team greeted him, and he found it funny (in a dark, twisted sort of way) how no one knew what today meant for him. 

He had already sat down when Shiro entered the room.

“Hey guys” as he passed Keith’s chair he ruffled his hair, making Keith freeze at the action. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy it, it was his way of savoring his affection.

Maybe opening up to Shiro hadn’t been that bad.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and he found that the weight in his chest became lighter with every affectionate touch Shiro offered him. It wasn’t anything big, a casual arm around his shoulder, a hair ruffle, a clap on the back; which he appreciated, since he was afraid the rest of the team would think something was wrong. He couldn’t tell them. He wouldn’t be able to stand the pity and condolences.

The black paladin suggested a sleepover when the night cycle began. Lance gave him a strange look, since he never suggested them, but agreed quickly. 

So half an hour later the team lay on a pillow nest, a movie on the hollow screen, sprawled over each other like they were teens without a care in the world. 

Shiro put his arm around Keith’s shoulders, bringing him closer. Keith made no comment but lay his head on Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro brushed a kiss on his forehead. Keith closed his eyes. 

“You planning on telling the team?” 

“No” He muttered 

“No? Or not yet?”

“Not yet”

He sighed “okay then” he said nothing for a moment before he squeezed his shoulder “go to sleep Keith”

“M’kay. Night Shiro”

He wondered for a moment if tomorrow Shiro would stop being affectionate, if he would go back to friendly shoulder bumps and a friendly side hug once in a while.

He fell asleep before he could think too much about it.

It didn’t stop.

And Keith couldn’t be happier about it.


	2. Accidental

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunks turn!

Keith knew Hunk was an affectionate guy.

He knew because he had watched Hunk hug lance when he felt homesick or had just come back from a dangerous mission, or simply because he felt like it. 

He had seen Hunk whoop from joy while he pulled Pidge into a bear hug and kissed her forehead, calling her a genius, to which Pidge just responded with a delighted laugh. 

He had even seen him pulling Shiro or Allura into a brief hug, making Shiro chuckle and Allura to smile softly. 

He tried not to feel bitter about the fact that he only got pats on the shoulder and fist bumps from the Samoan. 

He told himself that it didn’t matter, that it wasn’t anything personal, that he had brought this on himself by giving the impression of the hot-head, lone wolf.

It didn’t really work.

A few weeks after the meltdown incident, he entered the kitchen, looking for something to eat. 

It was fairly early, and he was surprised when he found Hunk bustling around the kitchen, his movements sluggish and slow. He turned around with two plates of space eggs and toast on his hands. He left them on the table, and Keith had barely registered how he had never realized that Hunk got up every morning to make breakfast for all of them, when Hunk walked towards him, muttering a sleepy “good morning” pushed his bangs back and kissed his forehead, before he walked back to retrieve the rest of the plates. 

He stood there for a second, frozen in place, before he shook out of his stupor and walked over to help Hunk with the rest of the food. 

By Hunk’s wide eyes and flushed cheeks, he had realized what he had done, but he didn’t say anything, so neither did he.

The day passed with little news, it was one of those days were voltron wasn’t needed, and Shiro liked to use the time to train, much to the team’s dismay. 

Keith did notice Hunk was more quiet around him and it frustrated him to no end. Had he done something wrong?

After training, Keith went to the lounge, hoping to keep reading an altean book Allura had recommended to him. 

Hunk sat on one of the couches, typing something on his laptop. Keith hesitated for a moment before sitting next to him, not too close but enough for him to feel his presence. After a minute, he could feel Hunk casting side glances at him, and he tried not to feel hurt about the fact he would normally be greeted by a friendly punch in the shoulder or something similar of nature. 

After a few minutes, he couldn’t stand the silence.

“Are you mad at me?” He asked quietly, not daring to look up. 

He knew logically Hunk would never hurt him, but it felt wrong not to hunch over a bit when Hunk’s gaze fell on him

“What?” 

“Did I do something wrong? Because I’m sorry if I did I didn’t mean to-“

“Woah! Keith, buddy, you did nothing wrong, okey? Why would you think that?”

Keith shrugged, suddenly regretting starting this conversation at all

“You weren’t talking to me, figured it was my fault” 

Hunk looked so sad, Keith felt a ball of guilt settle on his chest

“It’s not your fault, Keith. I was- I  _ am _ just” he sighed “embarrassed I guess, and feeling a little stupid”

“Because of what happened this morning?” 

Hunk nodded 

“Why?”

Hunk scoffed, but seeing Keith’s confused expression, he looked curious, maybe a little hopeful 

“You… don’t mind?” 

“No? I mean, I was confused when you kissed me, but it’s not like it was unpleasant or anything”

“But… you’re always so protective about your personal space”

“It’s hard for me to get used to new people” he confessed, fiddling with his jacket’s sleeve “I’ve been trying to spend more time with you guys but it’s hard sometimes”

“Yeah I get that” Hunk nodded “we can be a lot sometimes”

“How is Lance so loud?” Keith sounded so anguished, hunk laughed and patted his shoulder. Keith smiled shyly, which made Hunk’s heart melt a little

“He’s the biggest extrovert I’ve ever met” he confessed “but he’s a really nice guy”

“When he’s not laughing at my hair, sure” hunk smiled 

“So… you really don’t mind?”

Keith shook his head “Shiro does it a lot”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed he’s been more touchy, especially with you, what’s up with that?” 

“Ummm” 

He remembered promising Shiro that he would tell the team about his dad someday, and he trusted Hunk. He blew out a breath

“A few weeks ago... it was my father’s death anniversary and I kinda had a meltdown?” The end sounded a bit like a question but he was to preoccupied with not looking at Hunk to care 

“Oh buddy” Keith felt a lump form in his throat. Hunk’s tone wasn’t pity, but more like sadness and softness all rolled into one.

He didn’t ask why he hadn’t told them, or offer his condolences, which was deeply appreciated. 

“Thank you for trusting me with that” he said. Keith couldn’t speak. 

“When did he...?”

“10 years ago”

“Was it the day Shiro suggested we had a sleepover?”

“Yeah”

They fell silent after that. A few minutes later, Hunk spoke

“Can I hug you?” His voice was hoarse and Keith nodded, his eyes fixed on his lap.

The larger boy gathered him into his arms, gentle at first, as if telling Keith he could back out if he wanted to, but when Keith made no attempt to move form where his face was buried on his shoulder, he hugged him more tightly and in return Keith snuggled closer, soaking up the affection like a sponge. 

And then Hunk started rubbing his back and Keith all but melted into him, the last bit of tension in his shoulders gone and Hunk continued to rub his back. 

He could get used to this, Keith decided, it wouldn’t be so bad to get closer to the team if it meant he could get this hugs whenever he liked. 

After that Hunk made sure to give the red paladin more side hugs, and the occasional forehead kiss if they were alone. He had found Keith was more open to affection in a more private environment than a public one, and he was all too happy to respond when Keith shyly asked for a hug, in an obvious way when they were alone and in a more casual way when they were in public. Leaning a bit on him, or looking at him hopefully as he bit his lip. Which Hunk didn’t find adorable, not in the slightest. 

Whatever the case, he was glad they had had that early morning accident (or maybe not that accidental).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw thank you so much to the two people who review it really made my night! :D


	3. Absentmindedly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance’s turn!

Keith knew it was going to be a bad day the moment he woke up. 

His body felt heavy, even lying down. He opened his eyes, but shut them when the usually gentle blue lights of the castle made a headache start pulsing along with his heartbeat. 

He suddenly felt too hot, and the blankets were suffocating, he kicked them off, his movements sluggish and clumsy.

His spirits only plummeted further when he remembered Shiro wasn’t at the castle. He was at a meeting with the latest alien race that wanted to form part of the Voltron coalition. 

He groaned when he remembered he and the rest of the team had to meet up with them that afternoon.

He got up, and had to hold on to the bunk as black spots covered his vision completely. Once the dizziness spell wore off he walked out of his room, shivering as chills ran down his spine. 

Before he knew where he was going he arrived to the lounge, where Lance was sprawled over the sofa, watching something on his tablet. He looked towards the door and smiled teasingly when he saw Keith.

“Good afternoon, Mullet!”

Keith couldn’t hide the wince when Lance’s voice made a spike of pain pierce through his skull. 

“What time is it?” His voice sounded hoarse and he could barely finish the sentence before he started coughing. 

“Uh… one in the afternoon. We were gonna go look for you if you hadn’t showed up for lunch. Wait. You mean to tell me you’ve been asleep this whole time?”

Keith didn’t respond, too busy pinching his eyes shut, trying to stop the light in the lounge from searing into his over-sensitive eyes. 

“Are you okay, Keith?”

“No” he mumbled. He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder a few seconds later. 

How had Lance gotten here so fast?

Lance said nothing for a moment, and Keith knew he was studying him. 

“Lights at 30%” 

He could feel lights dimming underneath his eyelids, and his whole body sagged with relief. Lance chuckled at that

“Come on, buddy. Let’s sit down”

He helped Keith, who wouldn’t open his eyes, to the couch.

“Are you sick?”

“I don’t know” he mumbled, rubbing his eye with his fist. Lance tried not to dwell on how adorable that was.

“Do you have a fever?”

Keith frowned “I… don’t think so”

Lance raised his hand but hesitated “do you mind?”

Keith made a gesture like “go ahead”

Lance placed his palm on the older boy’s forehead

“Ummm” he cupped his cheeks and pressed the his forehead against his own cheek. Keith didn’t say anything, which kind of surprised and worried him at the same time. He shifted until his lips were pressed against his forehead. He absentmindedly kissed it before stepping away. He wasn’t even aware he had done it, too accustomed from taking care of little nephews and nieces and cousins to notice or care.

Keith didn’t say anything, closing his eyes and for once letting himself savor the affection. 

“You have a fever”

Keith only hummed. Lance rolled his eyes fondly 

“Go back to bed, Samurai”

Keith shook his head “work”

“You’re not going to get anything done like this. And if you try to get to the training room, so help me, I will drag your skinny ass back to your room”

Keith snorted “it’s amazing how you can go from caring to harsh so fast”

“Excuse you this is how I care, okay? Ensuring my teammates don’t collapse from being stubborn idiots”

Keith smiled at him, rubbing his eye again. Darn it, he was too cute.

“I’ll go get you something to eat, go to your room, I’ll meet you there” 

The thought of eating made his stomach churn. 

“Lance wait”

Lance turned around, looking at him expectantly.

He didn’t want to go back to his room, but he wasn’t sure how to say it without humiliating himself.

And then Lance, oh so wonderful understanding Lance, seemed to get the message 

“Listen, how about you stay here, take a nap on the couch and I’ll wake you up if we need anything. That sound good to you?”

Keith only nodded

“Thank you” He cleared his throat. Lance smiled kindly.

“Get some sleep buddy”

Lance left and Keith lay down, grabbing one of the spare blankets that was draped on the side of the couch.

He curled up and closed his eyes.

He was asleep in a matter of seconds.

  
  


He woke up to a hand in his hair. He inhaled deeply and leaned into the touch. A voice chuckled 

“Hey bud” 

“Hey S’ro”

“Lance told me you were sick”

“I’m fine” Shiro hummed

“Of course you are”

They stayed silent for a moment, Shiro scratching his scalp, nearly making Keith fall back asleep. He suddenly sat up, making Shiro jump

“The mission” he blurted out, looking at Shiro, eyes wide “we were supposed to meet you there”

“Lance told us you were sick, kiddo. We’ll meet with the Ankurii tomorrow if you’re feeling better, alright?” He ruffled his hair “go back to sleep bud, I’ll wake you for dinner”

Keith nodded and then visibly hesitated 

“Can you-“ he shut his mouth before the rest of the sentence was out, looking frustrated with himself. Shiro simply went over to the other couch, grabbed the tablet Lance had left there and sat down next to Keith. 

When Keith didn’t move, Shiro eyed him and then pointed at his lap with his head. Keith scrambled to lay down, a little too quickly and enthusiastically but he was sick and Shiro was staying because Shiro wanted to, so there. 

He stood still for a second, his face buried in Shiro’s vest, before he looked up to his brother 

“You’re sure you don’t mind?” 

Shiro didn’t look away from his tablet when he said “Allura has banned me from the bridge and the training room to make sure I got some rest. As far as I’m aware this  _ is _ resting” 

He laid a hand down on Keith’s head and started playing with his hair. 

“I’ll be fine, bud” the motion made Keith’s eyes grow heavy with sleep, which kind of frustrated him since he had been sleeping for most of the day “go to sleep”

And he did. 

  
  
  


An hour later Lance found the two brothers in the same position.

“Hey Bossman”

“Hello Lance” Shiro didn’t look up, but Lance could hear the private smile in his voice.

He looked at Keith with a mixture of amusement and fondness 

“How’s Mullet doing?”

Shiro looked down at Keith, who was drooling onto his vest 

“Out cold. His fever’s gone down, though”

Lance sat down next to Shiro “that’s good”

Shiro hummed in agreement, not looking up from his tablet.

Lance took a moment to study him. Shiro looked exhausted. Heavy bags hung underneath his eyes, looking way too purple in his way too pale face, and while it was clear he was trying not to show it, his slumped posture showed how tired he truly was.

Lance thought hard for a second before smirking to himself. He made a big show of yawning and stretching his arms. 

“I’m really tired. Shiro, do you mind if I…”

“Go ahead, Keith is already comfortable, I’m not going anywhere for a while” 

Lance snorted and then dropped his head on Shiro’s shoulder, body leaning into his leader. 

“Thanks” 

He didn’t mean to fall asleep, really. But his body grew heavy as he listened to Shiro’s breathing and he hadn’t slept that well the previews night… 

Before he could actually fall asleep, he made a clumsy grab at the tablet and Shiro let him take it 

“Go to sleep, Shiro” he mumbled

“‘Kay” 

And to his surprise and delight, Shiro’s head dropped on top of his head.

“By the way, Lance”

Lance hummed to show he was listening 

“Thank you for taking care of Keith”

“I barely did anything” he mumbled 

“You cared. That’s enough for him. I’m proud of you, kiddo” 

A lump formed on Lance’s throat

“Thanks Shiro”

And five minutes later they were both asleep.

Pidge found them like that half an hour later. 

She took photos that are saved in her “blackmail” folder that she never actually uses, and that she looks through when she’s sad about her lost family, and then she feels happy about the one she gained.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year to everyone and thank you so much for your comments they really really made my day!


	4. Gratitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge’s turn!  
> When Pidge’s most important object breaks, which one of her brothers will cheer her up?

Pidge was crumbling before their eyes. 

It wasn’t the first time the girl had cried in front of them, and it wouldn’t be the last, but something about the way her shoulders were slumped and her head hung in defeat as she cradled the broken glasses to her chest made something in Keith’s chest twist into a knot. 

“Pidge” Shiro’s soft voice seemed to bring Pidge out of her head. 

“I’m fine. It’s just a stupid pair of glasses” her voice wavered at the last word. Shiro placed a hand on her shoulder and she shivered, but another a moment, she shook it off and walked towards the door.

“I’m gonna take a shower” she mumbled. They all looked at her sadly until she walked out of sight. 

Lance broke the silence 

“Shouldn’t someone go to check on her?” 

Shiro sighed, running a hand through his sweaty hair 

“She’s had a tough day. I’ll talk to her later, let her cool down first” he looked at them “you should all go take a shower”

“I’ll make dinner” Hunk offered. Shiro offered him a smile in gratitude. 

But as Shiro, Lance and Hunk all walked towards the showers, Keith stayed behind, thinking. 

Today they had freed the prisoners of one of the biggest work camps in the galra empire. Pidge had been sure that the camp would have information in the location of her father and brother. Shiro had warned her not to get her hopes up, but it had been hard not to. 

There hadn’t been any information. 

And if that hadn’t been enough to get Pidge’s spirits down, one of the bots she had fought when returning to the green lion had managed to throw her into the wall. Something had cracked in the pocket of her utility belt. 

The others might sympathize, but they couldn’t fully understand what some objects could mean to people. Keith winced when he remembered the social worker who had tried to take his knife, the last thing his father had given him before he died. The poor woman had left the room clutching her bloody hand, where two puncture marks oozed blood. Keith still remember what her blood had tasted like in his lips. 

He thought of Pidge, and the care with which she cleaned the lenses of her brother’s glasses, how she always adjusted them when she was nervous, and how she had cradled the broken pieces. 

Cursing, he started walking fast towards Pidge’s room. 

When he arrived, he found the door closed, but unlocked. He opened it, and found the broken pieces of the glasses in her bed. The glass that was left was stained with tears. He gingerly picked up the broken glasses, careful not to drop anything or to cut himself with the broken and cracked glass. 

He then left the bedroom and walked decisively towards the lab. 

It was an hour and a half before Pidge came running to the lab, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw Keith sitting at one of the desks, hunched over and cleaning something with a cloth.

“Hey Keith” She panted “Do you know where-“ she stopped when he turned around and stood up, holding her glasses. They were fixed, the sideburns shining and straight again, the glass not even dented. 

She looked at them, unmoving and silent. The silence made Keith squirm and stretch out his hand, inviting her to take them. 

Tentatively, as if scared they would vanish if she got to close, she picked the glasses up, unfolded them, and put them on. She then looked at Keith, biting her lip. To his horror, tears started to well up in her eyes. 

“You looked so upset” he said, desperate to break the silence “I thought that fixing them would cheer you up” he was blushing, he could feel his cheeks burning, but Pidge didn’t do anything, still biting her lip. A tear slipped down her cheek. 

“C’on Pidge, don't cry, say something-“ but the wind was knocked out of him when she barreled into him, wrapping her wiry arms around him. He instinctively placed a hand on top of her head, feeling her damp hair underneath his palm, and the other on her shoulder, feeling her shake. 

He felt at a loss. What was going to take for this girl to stop crying? 

“Thank you” She said 

“You’re welcome?” It came out more like a question than an answer, and she let out a wet laugh before grabbing the collar of his shirt and making lean down. She kissed his cheek and quickly stepped away, rubbing away a few stray tears. 

“It’s stupid to cry over this” she muttered, rubbing her red nose. 

“No, it’s not” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Your brother gave those glasses to you, and losing them was like losing him all over again, am I wrong?”

She shook her head 

“But it’s just a stupid thing. And I don’t even need glasses” she complained. He shrugged 

“And I didn’t need a knife when I was 8, but that didn’t stop me from biting whoever tried to take it away” she finally looked up from the floor, analyzing him with those honey colored eyes. 

“That knife you’re always carrying…” 

“It used to be my dad’s, and my mom’s before him” he finished. 

Silence followed this statement, but then again, neither of them had ever needed many words to communicate. 

“Thank you” She said after a few moments “for everything”

He took a step forward and ruffled her hair “you’re welcome” 

She pushed him away, grinning with bright eyes.  _ Much better,  _ he thought. 

“Come on” He said, walking towards the door “Hunk said he was making dinner” 

She fell into step besides him, and he hesitated for a moment before placing his arm around her shoulders. She freezed for a moment before leaning into his side and he squeezed her shoulder.

“You stink” 

“Thanks”

No one commented about the tear tracks in Pidge’s face at dinner, or about the fixed glasses, or about how, that night, when everyone was hanging around in the lounge, Pidge sat a little closer to Keith than usual. 

The only important thing was that Pidge had crumbled, but had been built back up by one of her brothers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year lovelies!!


	5. +1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Shiro: comfort  
> 2\. Pidge: happiness  
> 3\. Hunk: gratefulness  
> 4\. Lance: to shut him up (inspired by that one scene in F.R.I.E.N.D.S)

Shiro looked terrible. 

He was hyperventilating, choking on his tears, his face pale with two red blotches high up his cheeks, his white bangs stuck on his forehead with sweat. 

“Come on Shiro, wake up” Keith didn’t want to get too close, last time he had tried that he had only gained a black eye and a guilt-ridden Shiro. 

“You’re in the castle of lions, with me, Keith. You’re not there” 

He cursed when Shiro only shifted and started to think hard, but before he could even come up with another way to wake up the sleeping man, Shiro sat up, gasping, a terrified scream leaving his lips. 

Keith jumped, startled as he watched Shiro look around frantically, clutching at his shoulder where it connected with the galran arm. 

“Shiro?” 

His head whipped around as he jumped at the name. 

“Are you awake?” 

Shiro nodded and Keith sat closer. He grabbed the hand that was clawing at the metal and held it between his own. 

“You’re fine, Shiro. It was just a nightmare”

_ A bad one,  _ Keith thought bitterly. Shiro’s nightmares were rarely this bad anymore, but obviously his fever had made it worse. 

It took him a few moments, but Shiro’s breathing finally eased, and he looked up, his eyes finally clear. 

“Keith?” 

“The one and only” he tried to sound cheerful, but it came out more grim than anything. 

Without any warning, Shiro leaned forwards and trapped Keith in a tight embrace, muttering something that sounded like “Thank God”

He stood frozen for a second, before he closed his eyes and leaned into the hug, placing one arm around the older man’s trembling back and the other hand on his head, copying unconsciously what Shiro did when  _ he _ was upset. 

“We’re fine, Shiro” the words made the older man shiver “I’m not going anywhere” 

Shiro nodded, signaling he had understood. 

“You want to talk about it?” Keith asked, because why not? Anything to keep Shiro from falling back into the memory

“Not now” Shiro’s voice was hoarse, his words barely more than a whisper. 

Keith hummed and and let his chin rest on his brother’s shoulder, dropping a kiss on his temple as he did so. 

They both froze, Keith because he had just realized what he had done, and Shiro because he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be kissed, comforted in such a simple way. 

They sat like that for god knew how long, until Keith felt how Shiro kept sagging more and more into him. 

He broke the embrace, and saw that Shiro’s eyes kept closing. Smiling at his tired out brother, he made him lay down, covering his shivering body with the blanket.

“Go to sleep, Shiro” 

“You’ll stay?”

The question was so vulnerable, so open, it took Keith a second to get his mouth moving.

“Of course” 

He sat on the bed, leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

“As long as you need”

  
  


…

  
  


“ _ What does Vrepit Sa mean?” _

“Oh oh! I know this one! It’s ‘killing thrust’!” Hunk practically screamed, jumping in his seat with pure excitement.

“ _ Correct” _

“Yes!”

Keith groaned, watching Lance and Hunk dance in their seats as they finally took the lead.

“I thought you were gonna fail that one. How the hell do you even know that?”

Pidge patted his shoulder “we’ll get back in the lead in no time”

“ _ It’s just a stupid trivia game, Lance”  _ Lance mimicked, sounding more like Keith than Keith would ever admit “ _ don’t get worked up about it, Lance” _

_ “ _ Oh shut up” he grumbled, crossing his arms, but his foul mood didn’t last long, he was having too much fun. 

“I learned from Lotor’s nanny” Hunk said. Keith raised an eyebrow 

“You definitely have to tell me  _ that  _ story”

“Later” Pidge said, patting his arm to gain his attention “it’s our turn now” 

_ An hour later... _

“Come on Pidge, one more and the game is ours”

Keith was definitely getting too excited about this… screw it. His dignity had been left behind almost two hours ago. 

“ _ What is this altean creature called?”  _

The holoscreen showed a small, cuddly-looking bear. Keith’s heart sunk. No way they were getting this one right.

That is until Pidge gasped and he saw her go pale 

“What is it?” Keith could feel his heartbeat quickening 

“It’s a fucking  _ Klanmüirl” _

“ _ Correct. Congratulations, former arms of Voltron, you are victorious” _

“HELL YEAH” Pidge threw her hands in the air as Hunk and Lance groaned. 

Keith cheered alongside his partner, and when she threw her hands around his neck, he hugged her back and kissed her cheek

“And  _ that _ is why you’re my favorite”

Pidge laughed, his cheeks bright pink and eyes shining. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE’S YOUR FAVORITE????”

…

It was one of those bad days. 

A knot was permanently twisted in his gut, something inside him was telling him something was wrong, but he couldn’t find  _ what  _ was wrong. 

Company helped in days like these, but everyone seemed to be busy. 

Shiro and Allura were with Matt, cross-referencing star charts, Pidge was at the lab working on… something with Hunk and Coran and Lance were doing maintenance, apparently something with the invisible labyrinth in the training room had gone haywire.

Reading didn’t help, and neither did listening to music. Watching a bit of altean tv helped at first, but after a while he grew tired of having to keep reading the subtitles.

He was growing restless, and a part of him was  _ so tired _ , but he knew from the previous night that the moment he tried to close his eyes, his anxiety would double, leaving him unable to sleep, alone in his dark room. 

In a desperate attempt to escape his personal torture, he left his room and walked towards the lounge. 

He stood by the door, watching hunk as he sat on the couch, letting out a low moan of relief. Biting his lip, he stood there, debating whether he should make his presence known or not. Hunk seemed tired, and the last thing Keith wanted to do was bother someone. 

Before he could make up his mind, Hunk looked behind him, as if he had sensed Keith’s presence. As soon as he saw him, he grinned and lifted a lazy hand in greeting.

“Hey Keith”

Keith smiled at him, only moving forward when Hunk signaled him to come closer. 

He sat closer to Hunk than he would’ve normally, but he didn’t think Hunk would notice. Wrong. 

Hunk turned to look at him, analyzing him for a second before he gave an easygoing smile.

“Good day?” Keith shrugged. Hunk scoffed 

“Mine wasn’t great. Pidge got annoyed at me so she won’t let me help her with the cloaking, and Coran banned me from the kitchen because yesterday I made a huge mess. How was I supposed to know that that particular flour and that baking soda would explode?” He made a big show of throwing his hands into the air, and when they came down, one his arms was casually draped over Keith’s shoulders. 

Keith stiffened for a moment, before he relaxed and leaned against Hunk’s side a bit. 

Hunk got the memo and held him closer. When he started scratching the back of Keith’s head, the boy sighed tiredly and rested his forehead against his shoulder, feeling the knot in his stomach finally loosen. 

“Bad day?” Hunk’s voice was barely higher than a whisper, and Keith nodded with a shaky sigh. 

Hunk only rubbed his arm in response, and smiled when Keith turned practically into goo at the affection.

Keith didn’t realize he had fallen asleep until he startled awake, feeling something land on his lap. He looked down and smiled when he saw the mice looking up at him with apologetic looks. He got his hand out from where it lay hidden underneath a blanket someone had draped over he and Hunk, who was still sleeping, soft snores emanating from him and with a small smile, he caressed the head of the largest of the mice, who squealed in delight. 

His anxiety hadn’t disappeared entirely, but it was down to manageable measures, enough that he could relax and enjoy the peace while it lasted. 

And he had someone to thank for that.

He looked up again at the sleeping face of his friend, feeling affection surge up in his chest.

“Thanks Hunk” he murmured, and pressed a chaste kiss to his chin, which was the only place he could reach in his position. 

Hunk only let out a sigh and then continued snoring. Smiling, Keith got comfortable and rested his head against his friend’s shoulder. 

He closed his eyes, falling asleep again with a smile on his face. 

…

“Pidge, I’ve decided I don’t like your calendar”

Pidge rolled her eyes, watching as Lance crossed his arms and watched as the clocked ticked down. 

“Funny, because just yesterday you were so grateful to know today was New Year’s Eve”

“That was before Allura turned down kissing him when the countdown finished” Hunk snickered. Lance just continued to pout

“Yes, I am very glad Shiro told me that was  _ not  _ a real tradition” Allura rolled her eyes 

“But it is!” Lance complained “everyone does it”

“ _ Some _ people do it, Lance” Shiro sounded weary, but also kind of amused.

“You’re all no fun” he turned away from the group, and the team took the opportunity to look at each other, rolling her eyes fondly at the teen’s antics.

The rest of the countdown passed in silence, except for the Garrison trio who counted down the last twelve seconds. The trio cheered when they reached midnight, and the rest of the team shared hugs and pats on the back.

“Pidge, you kiss me” Lance blurted out. Hunk snorted as Pidges face grew crimson.

“What?! No!” She spluttered, hiding behind a laughing Shiro. 

“Come on! Please? Somebody kiss me” when everyone ignored him, he whined “kiss me, Come on!” He continued complaining, his shrill voice filling the lounge.

Annoyed, Keith grabbed him by the front of his shirt and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, effectively shutting him up

“Now shut up” Keith rolled his eyes, although he  _ was _ enjoying the flabbergasted look on Lance face as his cheeks reddened. 

Shiro and Hunk both roared with laughter, and Keith smiled reluctantly when Shiro tucked him into his side. 

“That” Lance said “Did so not count as my first kiss with an alien” 

And this started a fight between Pidge and Lance, who looked more and more embarrassed as time wore on. Keith just grinned, looking at his team. He caught Allura’s eye and she winked at him, making his cheeks flush pink as he beamed at her. 

“Happy new year, guys” he whispered, watching his team as they started to celebrate the new year. 

There was a feeling growing in his chest, a warmth that filled him entirely, making him light with happiness.

Outside of their home, a war still raged on, but for once, no one was paying any attention. 

It was peaceful, at last.

And Keith would do anything to keep it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read this. Your comments and kudos mean so much to me. Until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this, bc it took me a long time to write it XD  
> Comments are really appreciated and will be cherished forever by the writer.


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